Mayor Parker spoke for about 8 minutes, reviewing the role of international trade, the importance of the consular corps and briefly reviewing the history of the annual Consular Ball. “At a time when our world is hyper-connected and the space between countries is rapidly diminishing, the Arctic Ocean remains one of the last great frontiers on the globe,” said Mayor Parker. “The selection of the Arctic circle nations the Northern Lights, focuses on a region of the world with unprecedented opportunities.”

Houston's consular corps, including delegates of more than 90 nations, is the third largest in the United States. Every year since 1952, the Consular corps has hosted an annual gala ball, sponsored by one or more business organizations, to celebrate various aspects of international trade and culture and promote informal networking that fosters business development. More recently, the Parker administration's Office of Protocol and International Affairs has taken a more pro-active role in helping to promote contacts with the consular corps and coordinate visiting trade missions and events such as the Consular Ball.

The Washington-based ambassadors of the seven featured countries and the Houston-based consular offices will serve on the Northern Lights Honorary Committee. Proceeds from the Consular Forum will benefit Houston International Initiatives, a non-profit organization formed to further Houston's international outreach efforts as well as supporting international education programs at local universities.

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A graduate of Harvard Law School (JD 1984) and Harvard College (BA pure math 1974), Marc Pembroke has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1985 and an instructor with Concord Law School of Kaplan University since 2001. He became a Certified Maine Assessor in 2008 where he lived from 2000 to 2009. He has taught mathematics and theology in French in France, Algeria, and Quebec, Canada.